Product Details
GILES WHITTOME
AN EXCEPTIONAL 12-BORE PRESENTATION 'THE PARAGON PINLESS' ROUND-BODIED SINGLE / DOUBLE TRIGGER SIDELOCK EJECTOR, serial no. 1005,
28in. nitro damascus barrels, broad rib gold-inlaid with vine leaves and 'GILES WHITTOME, LONDON' in gothic script, 2 3/4in. chambers, bored approx. imp. cyl. in both, gold bead foresight in the form of a labrador's head with faceted diamond eyes, treble-grip action with rounded bar, gold-inlaid cocking-indicators, pinless hand-detachable lockplates with concealed flush release lever, toplever finely pierced with vine and grape motif, gold-washed double triggers, the front trigger with the option of operating as a non-selective single trigger, rolled-edge triggerguard, the action, lockplates and furniture finely relief-engraved and two-tone gold-inlaid with grape and vine motifs, surrounding images of duck and woodcock in flight, the whole on a matt background, 16in. highly-figured slightly cast on Prince of Wales semi-pistolgrip stock with ivory pistolgrip-cap inlaid with grape and vine motifs and ''THE PARAGON PINLESS GUN', and blued steel skeletal buttplate with gold-inlaid floral and line designs, Anson pushrod fore-end release catch, weight 7lb. 8oz., in its fine velvet-lined veneered case with brass and ebony inlay and velvet-lined canvas outer, the case fully replete with ivory handled gold-plated accessories including turnscrews, chamber brush and cleaning rod, with ivory striker pot, ivory patch box (the lid finely carved in relief with the head of an elephant, inset with ruby eye detail), gold-plated oil bottles and fine damascus snapcaps.
Provenance: The maker has kindly confirmed that the gun was completed in 1982 as a presentation piece, and that Brian Gibb (Holland & Holland trained) was the actioner. The best English three-strip damascus barrels were made from unfinished view proofed tubes from the workshop of Thomas Bland (originally circa 1880). The engraving was undertaken by Pietro Sabatti
Estimate £12,000-16,000
S2